Stalking Cat is open to the idea of a relationship, especially with a cat girl by far, which may exist but they haven't met them. It requires a very deep bond, and it's difficult to deny that bond to a given animal, so I imagine it might be difficult to sustain a non cat-cat relationship.

There's also the issue of not having enough time to sustain a relationship, as much time is spent pursuing body modifications.

Going back a few generations, apparently what Stalking Cat is doing was a "fairly common thing" in the Huron (may've misspelled that) tribe, according to a professor of Native American Studies.

There is some surprise from the general public about how intelligent and articulate members of the animal-style body mod community (and furry fandom) are, concerning their weirdness and animalistic tendencies. Stalking Cat has a degree in electronics engineering.

In addition, Stalking Cat's work is specialised enough that they have a solid position in their employment field, and isn't worried in that regard. Adding onto that, Stalking Cat is quite introverted, and in their day-to-day life, and Cat really doesn't give a shit, despite their empathy. It was something they had to do, and Cat knows you may feel some way about that, but it's irrelevant. (Without being so brash in words.)

Stalking Cat has experienced behavioral changes in the vein of no longer drinkin' and druggin', heightened empathy, and reacting to certain things in different ways. By no longer denying these feelings, it's been easier to deal with different situations.

Reacts to things in a more "natural cat" way than anything else. Very cat-like in actions. (Lynx -> Tiger for e-mail address.)-> general feline affinity, but focus on tiger because it's the largest non-extinct cat on this continent.

Feline affinity is more great with big cats than smaller, domestic cats. (Primal nature? Bow hunting (Indian tradition) deer. Mutual respect with cats, 10' near bobcat, 25' near mountain lion, leaves when known hunting territory for another animal.) If you're not bow-hunting, and using a gun, you don't deserve that kill, basically. Gun hunting separates people from the experience of hunting. Stalking Cat is very much a cat in hunting & associated mannerisms.

If the resources are available, Stalking Cat plans (planned?) to extend their body modification not just to the face, but tails, claws, feet (paws) everything, but it's an expensive and time-consuming process.

As Shannon Larratt is interviewing Stalking Cat, he brings up a point that's quite interesting to me, and entirely relevant to the idea of privacy and unwanted celebrity we discussed earlier in this course.

SL: "... uh you do- you do go to a fair number of tattoo conventions, and you must experience at least a minor celebrity status while you're there."

SC: "Well, you know, in fact, I've only been to a couple conventions-"

SL: "I guess- I guess it's just every one you go to, they will always photo you."

SC: "Right, and my pictures have been plastered all over the place, and uh, it, in a way kind of irritates me, because these people're making money off of something I've spent a great deal of time doing, and I haven't gotten a dime out of it."

SL: "Mmhmm."

SC: "But uh, and uh, and they're basically using my picture to get themselves famous."

SL: "Mmhmm."

SC: "Or to get publicised."

SL: "Yeah."

SC: "But again, I did this for me, not for other people."

SL: "Mmhmm."

There's also been a positive side to this, as it encouraged self-expression amongst the public, and while not exactly normalising it, it allowed people who needed to do stuff like this to accept it and go for it. (But not those who are doing it as a trend.)

Interesting story behind feline dentures, how the dentist refused to do them when they were healthy, but when Stalking Cat destroyed their teeth from years of drinkin' and druggin' (their words, not mine), the dentist agreed to sculpt feline teeth-style dentures.

I'm surprised it doesn't affect Cat's speech (much).

Stalking Cat spent a lot of time self-medicating with drugs and alcohol trying to deny their empathy and their connection to different animals, especially cats. Trying to subdue and deny these feelings didn't work very well, but living as a cat counteracted these negative feelings.

Stalking Cat has had/coexisted with a variety of animals, including reptiles, wolves, snakes, birds, fish, and horses. Despite Stalking Cat's feline identity, they don't clash with dogs or wolves in a stereotypical fashion.

Maintains a general connection to animals, tied to both their experiences as an Indian, and tied to their identity as an animal themselves.

Being 1/2 Indian (Native American) & 1/2 White was a very big culture shock to Stalking Cat, as they fought with both the Indians & the Whites for being partially the other race. Stalking Cat accepted the cat/tigress as their spirit animal, which was originally pointed out by the medicine man of Cat's tribe.

Has many tattoos, started with aquatic animals and moved onto cat-type tattoos.

Interesting point. This sort of body modification may not be harmful in the physical sense, and I mean, maybe the social aspects can be overlooked? Kind of hard to put myself in their shoes, and what can I reasonably say about their experiences?

A critical examination is shaky ground here.

That's a damn shame, to be honest. Stalking Cat was happy in that co-dependent commune, but as for the money issue, it is what it is.

Probably contributed to Stalking Cat's later decline & suicide.

While this could be argued, I believe that this is a disturbing breach of the Hippocratic Oath on the part of Steve Haworth. This amount of surgery is not reasonable, and ended up severely hurting Stalking Cat's prospects for jobs and in other areas of their life. I am reminded of other people who have horribly proportioned bodies because of the insane amount of silicone pumped into their bodies, and the medical complications that result.

Is there a point where we have to say no to body modifications, no matter how much people such as Stalking Cat may want them? Or do we leave that choice up to them?

This is an interesting account as to the lengths that some members of the furry fandom will go to achieve their image. I give some note to the idea of species identity disorder, as a marked divide between Stalking Cat's vision of themselves and their human body is present. This is quite obviously an outlier, but it's an intriguing illustration. Not to mention that Stalking Cat ties this back to Huron & Lakota ancestor traditions, which is shaky ground at best.